E23 munition

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The E23 munition was a cardboard container built by the U.S. for use as an anti-crop weapon. It was later converted to a vector weapon for insect-based warfare and tested in a large field trial, but technical problems stopped it from being used further. The device was about 9.75 inches in diameter and 18 inches long, with an internal actuator that flipped a plastic bag to release its contents. It carried a small parachute for drops from the E77 cluster bomb and was released at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. When used as a vector, the E23 could hold up to 200,000 rat fleas among small pieces of sponge.

After the Korean War, interest in entomological warfare grew, and the E23 was one of two munitions tested to see if insect vectors could spread disease. In Operation Big Itch, launched in September 1954, tests looked at how uninfected tropical rat fleas could survive and spread. In the early tests, about half of the E23 munitions failed to function properly. In one instance, uninfected fleas escaped into the aircraft and bit the pilot, bombardier, and observer. Because of these problems, the E23 was pulled from Big Itch. Despite the issues, the Big Itch trials were overall considered successful.